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"I think that's part of the reason why Frank can continue to exist in the Marvel Universe," the writer explained. "It's not that the Avengers approve of what he's doing. It's that the Avengers are too busy. They're dealing with the stuff you need the Avengers to deal with. While they're off doing that and Frank's being reasonably quiet while taking down a group of mobsters who have armed themselves with the latest AIM hardware, it's easy to let that slip for a while."

It seems like Rucka's going for a hybridization of recent Punisher series, like Remender and Fraction's, and Punisher MAX. So it's going to be a really gritty, grounded series, that just happens to take place on the periphery of the Marvel U. Which I suppose is what Punisher was, pre-Ennis. I'm interested to see whether he can pull it off.

That said, it seems really weird that Marvel staggered these Big Time books in such a way, with Moon Knight, Daredevil, and Punisher all coming out months apart. Maybe it was to avoid cannibalizing sales, by launching them all at the same time, but it seems like it's deflated some of the hype.

Also, it's really weird to see what's clearly Morgan Freeman, in full Se7en costume, just kinda hanging out in a Punisher comic.

The art looks nice, like Opena's stuff, but Rucka isn't selling me on that interview. Daredevil seems interesting because Waid is actively trying to not make it depressing, and Moon Knight is trying to do something with a new location and premise for the personalities. This just seems like Marvel having no idea what to do with Frank, but not wanting to put him on the shelf for a few years, so he's back to gangs.

Having just finished Remender's Punisher run, I think it really worked in trying to have Frank be in the Marvel Universe, because while he might go after gangs normally, he's also not going to let villains get away when he's in the area. Remender even helped flourish this idea by bringing out/resurrecting a lot of villains. Instead of Frank just chilling in NYC, have him travel the country, knowingly cleaning up cities with little to no meta presence.

And like you mention, the hype seems to have died down with this and DD, this being the book most likely to suffer. Even Moon Knight seems to just be out there, neither praise nor scorn, just kind of there.

I was really liking the last three issues Costa did, but then the narration in 21 ruined it. That being said, I was never really impressed by Last Stand of The Wreckers, so hopefully this will exceed my expectations.

The art looks nice, like Opena's stuff, but Rucka isn't selling me on that interview. Daredevil seems interesting because Waid is actively trying to not make it depressing, and Moon Knight is trying to do something with a new location and premise for the personalities. This just seems like Marvel having no idea what to do with Frank, but not wanting to put him on the shelf for a few years, so he's back to gangs.

Having just finished Remender's Punisher run, I think it really worked in trying to have Frank be in the Marvel Universe, because while he might go after gangs normally, he's also not going to let villains get away when he's in the area. Remender even helped flourish this idea by bringing out/resurrecting a lot of villains. Instead of Frank just chilling in NYC, have him travel the country, knowingly cleaning up cities with little to no meta presence.

Wacker added that the series will "redefine what crime means in New York City in 2011," rather than the 1970s take previous iterations have been mired in. He also noted that the real-life Hell's Kitchen no longer resembles Daredevil's, and Wacker said tinkering with the criminal elements is a priority for the next year.

The Exchange will be a major criminal organization seen in the series, with another organization seemingly run by the Owl. Some costumed villains will realize that they can ditch the costumes and get more done, without getting "a face-full of Mjolnir."

"Take just one piece of tech from an Avengers-esque eschelon ... and take it down to street level, you can completely change the playing field," Rucka added, though this would of course catch the attention of the major-league players it was stolen from.

Asked if Frank would then be required to upgrade, Rucka cited DeNiro's line from "Ronin" that what he uses is "a toolbox; you use the tools for the job." It will be more difficult for Frank to acquire such tech, though, is more of a challenge than it would be for Tony Stark, but "he wouldn't need much; even an ounce of this stuff could make it a dark, dark day for anyone who crosses his path."

Rucka said he "is not trying to top" previous "Punisher" writers, but "I want to deliver."

Frank will travel outside of NYC, Rucka said. "He will travel as the story requires." "Marco emailed me that 'I want to see Frank in Iraq.' I said absolutely not. I'm not sending Frank to Iraq. But Afghanistan..." He added that "if things get too hot for him in New York, he might decide it's a good time to move to Rio for a year."

Wacker added that Punisher will be traveling to "Spider-Island" for that crossover, appearing in a digital preview issue. "It's funny," Rucka added mischievously.

Frankencastle is a little more "left of center" than Daredevil being happy or Moon Knight being extra crazy.

Decidedly so. But is that a bad thing? Personally, I would prefer the initial story be a little too weird than just the same old, same old.

Although, now I think about it... Moon Knight is just a new kind of crazy, why shouldn't Frank just fight a new era of gangs. Ooh, like the New Yancy Street Gang that tried to mug Johnny and Ben while he was human! Watching Punisher fuck them up would be amusing as hell.

War Rocket Ajax. It's a podcast that recently became the official podcast of Comics Alliance since one of its hosts is Chris Sims. Their discussion of Daredevil comes pretty late in the interview (at least 2/3 of the way through the whole thing).

War Rocket Ajax. It's a podcast that recently became the official podcast of Comics Alliance since one of its hosts is Chris Sims. Their discussion of Daredevil comes pretty late in the interview (at least 2/3 of the way through the whole thing).

Ah, ok. I have listened to a few of those WRA podcasts. I remember listening to a Matt Fraction one and a Rick Remender one. I don't really have a lot of patience, which is the reason I don't listen to podcasts. I would much rather read an interview than listen to it, for whatever strange reason.